The San Pedro Sun

Dr Omar Figueroa elected as new Area Rep for Cayo NorthThe United Democratic Party’s (UDP) Dr. Omar Figueroa is the newly elected Area Representative for Cayo North after defeating his opponent, the People’s United Party’s (PUP) Richard Harrison in a historic by-election. Figueroa captured 65.7% of the 4063 total votes cast on Monday January 5th. The announcement of the results culminated a long day of arduous work for the two political parties, who had campaigned hard the weeks leading up to the by-election, and who had set up political machinery to bring out the electorates on Election Day. Throughout the day, Figueroa was flanked by senior elected Cabinet Ministers including the Prime Minister of Belize, Honorable Dean Barrow and other key political elements. Through the UDP Secretariat, the incumbent party transported hundreds of party supporters including candidates for the upcoming municipal election from across Belize to the Cayo North constituency to boost Figueroa on by-election day. PM Barrow told The San Pedro Sun that for the UDP, it was a strategy to send a message that the UDP is united and ready to “Take back Cayo North” from the opposition PUP.

Big Celebrations for the New YearSan Pedro Town said good bye to 2014 and hello to 2015 in grand style! Hundreds of island residents and visitors flocked the town on Wednesday, December 31st for the much-anticipated New Year’s countdown. Activities were held across town, as local establishments held spectacular New Year’s Eve parties. Even The San Pedro Town Council pulled out all the spots by hosting an extravagant countdown party at Central Park, with DJ Jax from Miami performing live till the wee hours of the morning. Ceremonies at Central Park started promptly after 8PM. Leading up to the countdown, party goers enjoyed performances from Rompe Raja, The San Pedro Dance Academy, Blackhenoh featuring Dale Wallace and music from Skynet Soundz. As the New Year drew nearer, Father David Mumba of the San Pedro Roman Catholic Church delivered a heartfelt blessing for the community, after which Mayor Daniel Guerrero and Area Representative Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr. took the opportunity to welcoming all attendees and wishing them a prosperous 2015. San Pedro Town 2015 New Year Celebrations-5With only a minute till midnight the countdown began, and as the clock struck 12, a spectacular fireworks show erupted as everyone cheered in celebration of the New Year. Immediately after the fireworks show, DJ Jax kicked off the dance party which went on until almost 2AM.

San Pedro’s only fast casual beachfront eatery opens this weekendRecent Island Transplants Dawn and Paul LoCascio are set to open San Pedro’s’ first Fast Casual Eatery beachfront at Black Coral Street this weekend.
What do you call a Fast Casual dining experience with hyper-locally sourced, sustainable menu creations, a palapa covered deck with retro stainless tables, and a Maître ‘d who knows his stuff? Ray’s Big Dog. The latest beachfront eatery to hit the San Pedro restaurant scene is already causing a stir, and their doors don’t open for business until Saturday. Ray’s is making handcrafted All Beef and Chicken Hot Dogs loaded with gourmand toppings, fresh peel and eat shrimp growlers with Ray’s Sunset Sauce, and Old School Ice Cream Floats. Ray’s is more than their catchphrase Hot Dogs and Cool Treats, you can also enjoy a cold beer or a glass of exceptional wine, and don’t forget that Ray’s is dog friendly, so bring Fido with you.

Ambergris Today

25 Years Ago: Growing Stages of Ambergris Caye -San Juan AreaThe expansion of San Pedro Town core into the Boca Del Rio Area may be described as expansion Number One. As the roads were cleared and delineated, light posts and electrification were next and with that San Pedro residents started constructing in the area. George and Tanta Eiley were the very first ones to build in what people called the bush. San Pedro High did not come into the picture until 1981 and was completed in 1987. Growth was not an overnight thing. It took quite a lot of planning and hard work along with patience. The Lands Committee of San Pedro took charge of issuing lots and clearing for streets. Soon that section marked as Section A looked like one continuous part of the town.
In due time there was need for more land for the residents to build their homes. Look at that section marked as Section B on the aerial shot of San Pedro Village. That mangrove infested and marshland was the obvious area for needed expansion. Unfortunately there had been a change in the municipal leadership of San Pedro and cheap political campaign had begun. I will not mention the political party for fear of this article being labeled as political, but it was a political party which encouraged people, anybody who expressed an interest in land, to simply go there and clear a lot and build a home.

Misc Belizean Sources

Benquenos Kick some Guatemalan ButtBenque Viejo's La Plebe Basketball Team was victorious in a tournament in Peten, Guatemala on January 4th, 2015. La Plebe won the First Place Trophy. Roberto (Mosho) Castellanos was the gold star receiving the MVP Award and Charles Ponce was honored with the Scoring Title.

End of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers' Association and the future of the sugar industry?At a meeting this afternoon 18 branches of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) Directors approved that an additional $4 million of Fairtrade Funds be used among farmers. Chairman Cansino says this will force them to layoff all of BSCFA employees and perhaps the end the association.
Will this move spell out sanctions as de-certification of the BSCFA from Fairtrade?
At this corner, we continue to support the sugar cane farmers and their struggle.

Channel 7

Omar Figueroa Wins Historic LandslideWhen we left you last night - it was with the news that UDP candidate for Cayo North Omar Figueroa was amassing a huge lead in the early counting. And by 8:45 this was confirmed when the first boxes were counted and they showed Figueroa leading by a constant ratio of two votes to one.
When it was all over, he had secured 2664 votes to 1348 for Richard Harrison, a margin of just about two to one. That is a blowout, a landslide victory for the UDP and a historic trouncing for the PUP. The 1316 vote difference between the two candidates represents a 1700 vote swing from the 2012 election when the PUP's Joseph Mahmud won the area by 398 votes. And more than that, research shows it is the largest margin of victory in that division since 1961.
For the UDP it is one more seat in the House of Representatives, increasing the ruling party's hold on the balance of power to a comfortable 18 - 13 majority. And for Omar Figuroa, he now enters the House as one of only three representatives on either side with more than 65% of the vote in his division. The other two are Dean Barrow and Michael Finnegan. That's pretty elite company, and here's how he and his supporters celebrated the huge win in San Ignacio last night:..

Opposition Leader Gracious In DefeatRichard Harrison was not available for comment last night - and today, he wasn't around when his party leader held a press conference to talk about the loss. Fonseca faced the press alone, but he took the blame and right off the bat, he was gracious in defeat:..
Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"First of all I want to on behalf of the People's United Party, to congratulate the United Democratic Party and in particular their candidate Dr. Omar Figueroa on his victory yesterday in the Cayo North by-election. It was a clear and decisive victory and we congratulate him and their party on that victory. As the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly I welcome Dr. Figueroa to the National Assembly."

UDP Leader Says PUP Didn't Come OutBut the good spirited-ness can only go so far. The political bottom line is that the PUP resoundingly lost a seat they had, and they did so 7 weeks before Municipal elections.
UDP party Leader Dean Barrow seized on that when he told the media last night that the PUP supporters didn't come out for their own party:..
Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"We brought out our people. Clearly it was a two horse race the other horse appeared not to be running. The PUP could not bring out its supporters for various reasons, including tremendous disenchantment with their leadership as expressed by the departed area representative."

Fonseca Tells PUP Supporters, Hold Strong, We'll Be BackAnd today Fonseca took the blame, sort of. He accepted that the fault rests with him as leader - but didn't accept that he was responsible for the alienation of PUP supporters. He reached out to the party supporters, though, saying…basically...keep your heads up:...
Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"And to say to them, we will live to fight another day and together we must move forward. To our supporters, I know its disappointing and many of you are down today, but as I said, we have to keep moving forward and as the leader of the People's United Party, I take ownership and full responsibility for the loss and I have to look at myself what can I do better, what should I be doing more, how can we strengthen whatever units and arms of the party we need to strengthen to make the PUP more effective. What are we doing in terms of our message as a party? Is that message getting across to the people of Belize? Is it getting across to the people of Cayo North? I think yes, people are feeling down and disappointed. Even though people knew the odds were stack against us. But I think our people in the PUP understand the circumstances of this by-election. I am not for predictions or guarantee, but I can guaranteed this to the Belize people and to our supporters that the People's United Party will form the government of Belize whenever the next elections are called. Whether it's called, in 2015, 2016`or 2017, the People's United Party will form the government of Belize."

Charged For The Murder Of "Robbery"28 year-old George Street Figure Kareem "Robbery" Lopez, was murdered on Central American Boulevard on Saturday Night. Well, the man who police believe was one of his shooters is 27 year-old Troy Hyde, a resident of Curl Thompson Street.
As we reported, Hyde was formally arrested and charged yesterday evening. He was arraigned today before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith for the charge of murder. He was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until February 24.
Lopez was gunned down at around 10:20 on Saturday night. He went to buy food, and as just after he got out of vehicle, a group of men ambushed him and shot him multiple times to the head and body. He died on the spot.

Mayor Comes Up With Plan For BML WorkersNext week Friday, on January 16, 158 sanitation workers from Belize Maintenance Limited will be reporting for their first day of work at the Belize City Council.
Viewers may know that this is one day after City Hall's contract with that sanitation company expires. The mayor hoped he could get a big break on the council's expenses by letting go of that hefty contract, but after the Sanitation Workers staged a daring garbage protest, Prime Minister Dean Barrow had to step in and guarantee them all employment at city hall.
In late 2014, Mayor Bradley resisted that mightily but just before Christmas, he came around, and decided to make it work.
Today, he held a press conference to announce that after a much brainstorming and planning, he and the rest of the council has come up with a low impact plan to take the sanitation workers on. Bradley told us how it will work:

Mayor Explains How Sanitation Debt Will Be PaidSo, that's one headache solved with BML, but the council still owes them major arrears. So, how will the council handle that? Well, according to Mayor Bradley, the council has been working toward retiring that debt slowly by making multiple payments in at intervals, especially during this period since, City Hall is currently generating revenue from trade licenses and property taxes.
Here's how the payment schedule should work all the way up to the end of February when all arrears are expected to be paid:
Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"We had entered into an agreement with BML in relation to the retirement of their debt obligation which is quite significant. We had paid them I think at the ending of October 3 payments which was about two hundred thousand plus. At the end of November we had paid them 5 payments which was about roughly three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. At the close of the year we had paid them an additional four hundred thousand dollars which was not included in the agreement. The agreement indicated that we were going to make those balloon payments and then thereafter we were going to pay them twenty dollars per week until the monies were retired. We are paying them the twenty thousand dollars per week and in addition to that we paid them four hundred thousand dollars as a balloon payment to ensure that we can pay them off quite comfortably by the ending of February and that puts us at the first week in December, so we are still in an arrears position with them, but we are making accelerated payments to them and we are at the first week in December, so we are behind about five or six weeks and we expect that we will be able to close them comfortably by ending of February. So that when we hit that ending of February deadline, we will have no more obligation to BML as it relates to their recurrent debt with us."

Woman Says Burglars Won't Put Her Out of BusinessA food shack on Freetown road has been burglarized 4 times since Christmas. The first break in happened on December 21st when the robbers stole groceries, soft drinks and kitchen utensils. They struck again the next night on the 22nd, then on the 29th and then also on January 2nd. With this number of break-ins and not to mention the financial loss endured by this small business, two of the most obvious options would be to close down or re-locate. But for the 44-year-old owner Annette Ramclam, those aren't options.
Annette Ramclam, Owner - PG Kitchen
"The first time they broke in is through the side window. What happen is that in the night time the place is really dark, so you can't see anything that is happening and then we have this tarp tent in front of us that block all the view from everything from the street side, so nobody can see what is happening and I think that is the advantage they have. The thing is I don't think it's the government or the city council or anybody to put a security out here, it's our responsibility because we are just leasing from City Council, and so it's our responsibility to find a security.

Belizean Accused of Robbery In MexicoA Belizean man allegedly assaulted a Mexican woman on Friday in Quintana Roo. According to a Mexican newspaper, Diario Respuesta 34 year old Roberto Heredia Bradly assaulted a Mexican woman in the Zazil-Ha zone in Playa Del Mar, Mexico. He held a knife to her throat threatening that if she screamed he would hurt her. That's when Heredia stole money, a cell phone and her shoes and ran off. But his escape was short lived - police caught him a few blocks away. He was then taken in for the crime of theft and carrying an illegal weapon in Mexico.

Mayor Says Muni Bond Being Paid, TimelyIn the last segment you heard the mayor talking about debt. One that we didn't get to is the biggest one: the municipal bond. He told the media today that the first tranche of the Municipal Bond, has been paid off comfortably.
He says that this is not only good news for the Council, but an independent audit of the earnings from this first tranche indicates that if the council continues to manage its finances in this manner will be able to make payment on the second tranche in 7 years:
Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"The municipal bond which is a big part of the carrying debt of the Belize City Council. You will see that the audit mentions a debt obligation of approximately 21 million dollars. A significant amount of that is the bond itself and the first tranche of the municipal bond which is the 2 year bond was repaid on the 24th December, 2014 and the principal was repaid together with interest and that represented a payment of 1.5 million dollars or 7.5% of the bond and the sinking fund which is being manage by the Central Bank has a comfortable surplus.

PUP Leader Says Party Will Find More FundsAnd staying on the subject of money, the PUP seems that it needs its own bond after it was grossly outspent in yesterday's by-election. Now, say what you will about money demeaning democracy, but since about the 90's, politics has become a money game: and if you don't have it, you can't play, at least not very well. The PUP leader conceded that the PUP does need a greater fundraising drive:..
Jules Vasquez
"Are you all financing wise in a worse situation that you were going into this election with a 1700 vote swing?"
Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"No Jules, I don't think so. I think we certainly as I said earlier, it's a critical factor, a critical issue which I take responsibility for and that means we have to get out there and work harder on that issue. I have to work harder on that issue which I will admit and confess that it's not something I am comfortable with and like to do, but obviously it's something I have to address in a more aggressive manner."

Prison Weed in Bun and Apple38 year-old Orven Usher, a resident of Fern Lane, tried to smuggle weed into the Belize Central Prison and tonight he's facing only a $500 fine instead of a prison sentence.
Usher was busted on Sunday, January 4 when he went to prison to take food for inmate Jed Burgess, who is on remand for the murder of Jamal Neal. When the bun was put through an x-ray machine some foreign substance were detected and when the bun was cut open the cannabis was found inside.
He was charged with drug possession, and he was arraigned today before the Senior Magistrate, where he pleaded guilty to the offence.

PM Says City Port Will ComeYou may have seen the Prime Minister's New Year's Day Message, which we aired in our New Year's Eve newscast. But the thing was 10 minutes long, so just in case you tuned out, he did outline some important public initiatives.
One of them is the promise to give students at tertiary level a tablet for free. He said in the speech that his government has purchased approximately 7,000 devices:
Most of his message was focused on Tourism, and the improvements that he and his government wants to make in infrastructural upgrades. He says that apart from fixing roads to 3 main tourist sites, a cruise port and docking facility is coming to Belize City, one way or the other:

Gas Price Gone Down AgainAnd one thing he didn't mention in there was the price of gas, which keeps going down. Gas prices went down again at midnight last night.
Premium Down went down (.77cents), Regular went down (.80cents), and Diesel went Down (.67cents. Observers say this is the lowest gas prices have been since 2009.
The falling price is due to the tumbling world price of oil because of the price war between OPEC countries and shale gas produced in North American countries. No one can say when the price war will end, which means that for a time prices should continue to falls for consumers.

Channel 5

Figueroa Trounces Harrison in Cayo North!The results of the Cayo North by-elections were known early on Monday night but were in fact predicted before voting even took place. Early in the counting, the U.D.P. enjoyed [...]

P.U.P. Reels from Devastating LossWhile the U.D.P. celebrates, for the People’s United Party, it has been a devastating loss. At a press conference at Independence Hall this afternoon by the P.U.P., the media brief [...]

B.S.C.F.A. to Support Order of MandamusThe only thing for certain in the sugar industry is that it is back to square one and tonight, the industry finds itself at rock bottom. While there is urgent [...]

What’s the Fate of BML Employees?The employment of sanitation workers by Mayor Darrel Bradley has been prickly issue. But tonight, after months of discussions with Belize Maintenance Limited and the Christian Workers Union, a total [...]

P.U.P. Urges for Campaign Finance ReformOne more issue from today’s press conference by the Opposition Leader. The People’s United Party has for some time been clamoring for campaign finance reform. The motion would compel all [...]

What’s the Latest on Belize City Road Works?The purpose of today’s press briefing by Mayor Darrell Bradley was really to outline several matters for which the general public wanted answers. Sanitation—contractors and workers aside—Mayor Bradley also spoke [...]

CTV3

Cane Farmers React To BSCFA's Suggestion To Realease Only 1.5 Million Dollars Of Fair Trade FundsEarly this morning a group of about twenty farmers from the Corozal District gathered at the Belize sugar Cane Farmers Association building in an effort to speak with officials on the supposed change that had been made. That change, farmers understood was that the Association, including branch directors, had decided to disburse only 1.5 million dollars to farmers and not the four million as had been decided at the meeting on Sunday. We visited the farmers who were very vocal about their discontent on the matter and called themselves “the rescue team”.
Mario Camara – Louiseville Branch
“Entiendo que se aprobó y queremos ver si nuestro voto de nuestra palabra que dimos haya vale porque parece que ya no vale porque se aprobó en la sala.”
Eiden Romero – Libertad Branch
“Nosotros estamos acá para decirle y mostrarle a los 18 directores que están haya que por nosotros están haya para representarnos y para el beneficio de nosotros y nosotros acá también estamos porque nosotros somos la máxima autoridad de los caneros y si decidimos algo en esa junta que hubo el domingo es porque nadie debe de ir a contra nuestra palabra.”

Corozal Town Council Missing Funds Still Pending At CourtIn January of last year we told you about the missing funds from the revenue department at the Corozal Town Council that was put on hold after it was discovered that thousands of dollars had been allegedly misappropriated. As a consequence of that allegation three employees were sent home and an internal audit was to be launched to verify the exact amount of monies missing and who was to blame.
Later that year in September, Mayor Hilberto Campos granted an interview to our colleagues at Channel 7 where he stated that a total of $13,495.00 was unaccounted for and not 80 thousand as previously reported.
According to Mayor Campos he had his former Revenue manager sign an affidavit confessing that he was practically involved in the outcome of the investigation and that he also has committed to pay back the council despite him leaving the country. Campos added that he was to meet with his council to discuss the way forward to the next step which would be to either hand it over to the police for him to be prosecuted or to have him pay back the Corozal Town Council. Today upon making checks with the Corozal Courts there were no such files.

Students From Gatway Provide Therapy for The ElderlyA group of students from Gateway College who are majoring in physical therapy are providing much needed and welcome exercising sessions to the golden citizens of our community. The group has joined hands with PeaceWork International and been engaging residents in health, therapy, education and much more as part of their community service programs in Wisconsin. We spoke with physical Therapist instructor Tracy Gattz who shared with us their experiences so far.
Tracey Gatts – Phyrical Therapist Instructor
“So they are college students from Wisconsin and they are going to service project, the students are graduating in May, three Therapist Assistant and they are coming to practice their skills and teach the community on how the importance of exercise and if they have injuries to help heal their injuries the same we would with our patience back home.”

BSCFA Says If 4 Million Dollars Is Disbursed It Could Mean The Collapse Of The AssociationDuring Sundays Special Meeting held by the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, cane farmers passed a motion to have four million dollars of Fair Trade funds distributed equally among all cane farmers by Friday of this week. At the meeting, officials of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association expressed great concern over the decision but the crowd would not allow for much discussion on the matter and the motion was passed. Chair of the Committee of Management Ezequiel Cansino called a meeting yesterday with the eighteen branch directors to further discuss the decision since according to him; this could mean the collapse of the Association.
Ezequiel Cansino- Chairman, BSCFA, COM
“Nosotros estamos bastante preocupados por esta decisión por el hecho de que realizamos al dar estos 4 millones la organización, la BSCFA prácticamente va a colapsar.”
Zune Canche – Senior Accountant/Acting CEO
“Es lamentable que no se pudo explicar porque si el efecto es grande porque los cuatro millones que ellos decidieron disolver a base de los proyectos aprobados no incluye solamente proyectos que son como fertilizantes y programas sociales que hemos llevado acabo, sino también incluye los gastos ...”

Peacework International Conducts Workshop
Peacework International has commenced work in various communities in the Orange Walk District. Today a part of the team commenced a workshop with interested persons on first aid. Instructors included personnel from Gateway Technical College who have teamed up with Peacework directors to conduct this year’s activities in Belize.Nursing Instructor – Gateway Technical College“This is important to learn because there are thousands of people that are injured in the work place, in the home or in the school, all we want to make sure that our participants are prepared and that they recognize, prevent and are able to treat emergencies and also that they know how to seek medical care.”
Dalila Ical – Reporter
“From the group that you see here, does any one person has prior training to this or is this really their first encounter with this kind of training?”

Belize City Resident, Marvin Underwood Gun Down
Belize City residents were left traumatised this morning after sounds of gunshots rang out.
This morning’s shooting claimed the life of a 32 year old Belize City resident Marvin Anthony Underwood. Around 6:55 this morning police received reports of shots being fired in the vicinity of Roger’s Stadium and upon their arrival in the area they discovered the lifeless body of Underwood lying on the street in the vicinity of the Pound Yard Bridge with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
Underwood was transported to the KHMH where his body tonight awaits a post mortem examination.

Cane Farmers Attack Chairman Cansino During AGM
At various points throughout the course of the meeting on Sunday, farmers expressed discontent with the Chair of the Committee of Management, Ezequiel Cansino. At one point the crowd even motioned for a vote of no confidence in his leadership. The media asked Cansino for his reaction to the farmers’ stand in respect to his capabilities.
“I am not concerned about that even though my colleagues give me a vote of no confidences or reshuffles come at the end I have to stay for my branch and I will keep fighting for my branch as long as my branch keeps me as chairman of San Estevan.”
While the farmers were very vocal against Cansino, no vote was made to overthrow him from his position.

Man Charged For Medina s Murder
A few hours before the New Year 51 year old Miguel Medina became Orange Walk’s night murdered victim after he was stabbed more than 40 times while socializing at a house located on Fonseca Street in Orange Walk.Today the man police believe committed the crime is behind bars after he was arrested and charged by Orange Walk Police. Thirty year old Tony Pasos, Belizean laborer of San Narciso Street appeared before the Orange Walk Magistrates Court this morning where the charge of murder was read he was officially charged for murder.Since the matter is an indictable one no plea was taken from Pasos and he was remanded to the Kolbe Correctional Facility until his next court date.

Cristo Rey Resident Burglarized
Over the past weeks the district of Corozal has seen an increase in burglaries and all indications are that the rate will just increase even though Corozal Police has been working overtime the reduce the numbers. The reality is that criminals are on the prowl waiting for the right moment to make their move. And that is exactly what they did on the morning of January 2nd 2015 as they burglarized a residence in Cristo Rey Village, Corozal.Between the hours of 8:00am and 11:00am on January 2nd, 49 year old Sonia Alamilla and her husband Alfonso Alamilla were not at home proving an opportune time for robbers to pay them an unwanted visit.Stolen from the residence were 2 gold medals valued at $120.00bcy, 1 gold double link bracelet valued at $300.00bcy and 1 pair of gold earrings with leaf designs valued at $60.00bcy.

Will BSCFA Directors Distribute 4 Million Dollars As Demanded By Cane Farmers
At the special general meeting held Sunday, cane farmers also voted to have four million dollars of Fairtrade money distributed among them. This is additional money to the two point five million dollars that was distributed among farmers in December last year. The decision concerns the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association leadership as it can have grave implications to both the association and farmers themselves. The money had been allocated for a number of projects within each of the eighteen branches, some of which are being carried through for the last three years. The vote led to the dissolving of these projects in order for the money to be redirected to the farmers. That process alone brought added friction with farmers and their leadership and at one point the tensions became all too visible. Here is a look at how that process unfolded.
Ezequiel Casino
“Me decepciona sinceramente porque cuando yo vine acá no vine con intenciones de quebrar a la Asociación y me alegro el momento que todos se pararon y dijeron no a la firma del agreement y sinceramente me convencieron de estar con ustedes pero a esto sinceramente yo no estoy de acuerdo pero la decisión es de ustedes, la decisión es de ustedes y si la mayoría lo ha dicho solo quiero pedirle a ustedes estén conscientes de lo que se está decidiendo.”

O/W Area Representative Weighs Into The Matter
All eyes are on the sugar industry over the past weeks and as the situation continues to unfold without a resolution a foot, concerns start to grow in other sectors outside the sugar industry. Today, PUP representative of Orange Walk Central John Briceno weighed in on the situation. The delay of the season or lack thereof, he fears will have severe economic implications and as such urges government to take a more decisive approach in helping to resolve the matter.
“As a cane farmer and as a Belizean I am very concern about what is happening with the sugar industry as we speak , we realize that in the north without the sugar industry we are dead and that is the engine that drives the economy in the north, not only in the north but in the entire country of Belize so all of us as Belizean have to be very concern about what is taking place and I think what we need to do is that the government have to get in and get involve immediately and certainly the minister of agriculture does not have the ability and the where it all or the intelligence to be able to lead the discussion....”

Deportee Kareem Lopez aka Robbery, Second Murder For 2015
He went out to purchase food; and little did he know that he would go down on record as the second murder victim for 2015.
We are talking about deportee Kareem Lopez also known as Robbery who was killed on Saturday night at around 10:15 as he stepped out of his vehicle on Central American Boulevard.
Initial investigations have revealed that Lopez was approached by a group of men who fired several shots in his direction. Some of the bullets found their target as Lopez was fatally injured.

Belizean Accused Of Robbing Mexican And Arrested
Reports reaching our news room tonight are that a Belizean is currently under Mexican Police custody after allegedly robbing a Mexican woman in Playa del Carmen Quintana Roo, Mexico.According to El Diario Respuesta, a Mexican Newspaper, 34 year old Roberto Heredia Brady who claims to be Belizean, was arrested over the weekend after he was accused of robbing a Mexican lady at knife point.The newspaper reports that on Friday around midnight the woman was heading home when a man, armed with a knife, attacked her, telling her that if she screams he would hurt her.

LOVE FM

PM Says Municipal Election is the Main Focus NowOmar Figueroa is the new Area Representative for the Cayo North. Figueroa rose as the newest member of the House of Representatives following bi-elections held on Monday after the post was vacated by PUP representative Joseph Mamud. Both main political parties expressed confidence at the start of the race but at the opening of the polls at 7am, it was clear the UDP machinery was running more smoothly. There was a low voter turnout for the first six hours but as it neared the closing time the numbers started to rise steadily. By the time the polls closed at 6pm there were a few voters still in line waiting to vote. The 13 ballot boxes were then transferred to the ITVET in San Ignacio where the counting took place. All 13 boxes were counted simultaneously and by 8:30pm the word was out that UDP candidate Omar Figueroa was leading the race. A few minutes past nine o’clock, it was confirmed that the counting was completed and the new area representative for Cayo North was Omar Figueroa. A crowd of UDP supporters had gathered under the rain in front of the ITVET awaiting to see and hear from their new area representative and Figueroa fulfilled this task when he emerged from inside the counting room accompanied by close relatives.

Dawson Speaks on Construction on Philip Goldson HighwayThose of you who commute on the Philip Goldson highway probably question what is transpiring on the right hand side opposite of Roses and Westrac. Today Love News spoke to Alexander Dawson, Site Supervisor at Cisco Constructions, who explained further more of the works occurring on the corner of the highway. Here’s what he has to say:
ALEXANDER DAWSON
“Well at the moment we are constructing a round a bout to make the flow of traffic easier between the Western and the Northern without causing confusion. With the round a-bout here vehicles instead of stopping the flow of traffic will just ease and go easier to diver easier off. Well the round a bout has to be big enough to maintain trailer trucks going to port and back so with that the round a bout will be able to handle a two lane highway.

Prison Wardens Find Weed Hidden Inside BunThirty-eight year old Orven Usher of Fern Lane, Belize City who attempted to smuggle 30 grams of cannabis into Belize Central Prison by putting it in a bun, was fortunate he was not given a custodial sentence when he appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser and pled guilty to a charge of possession of a controlled drug. Senior Magistrate Fraser fined him five hundred dollars and gave him until February 28 to pay. If he defaults on payment he will serve five months. She told that he was lucky he had not come to court yesterday because he certainly would not have been fined. She was referring to a case yesterday in which she sentenced an 18 year to six months for trying to smuggle 46 grams of cannabis into prison in some apples. Usher was busted on Sunday, January 4 when he went to prison to take food for inmate Jed Burgess, who is charged with the murder of Jamal Neal. When the bun was put through an x-ray machine some foreign substance were detected and when the bun was cut open the cannabis was found inside.

August Speaks on Interruption of Sanitation ServicesLast Friday, January 2; there was a group of disgruntled workers at the San Ignacio Town Council inside the Sanitation section. Reports reaching Love News are that there were some missing inventory from the municipal office and administration was preparing to have the workers compensate for the missing items. It wasn’t a decision taken lightly by the council’s employees and to show this discontent, the employees reportedly went on strike. It was a brief interruption of service in the sanitation sector for the town as Mayor John August explained.
JOHN AUGUST
“There was a minor incident and the council was concerned over some items that had gone missing from our garage and we brought it to the attention of the workers and I think some of them were not too happy with the way we were undergoing the investigation but I have spoken to them and I have sorted out the matter already and I think the work is being continued, garbage is being picked up.

Barrow Says No Petro Caribe for Bi-ElectionsThe issue of finances has been well highlighted by both political parties, particularly as it relates to Monday’s bi-election. In the instance of the United Democratic Party, yesterday’s bi-election and the weeks leading up to it, had shown signs of significant monies being spent on the ground particularly in the Cayo North Division. While for the People’s United Party, it was quite the opposite as they had indicated that their funding was limited and that they are concerned at how the UDP is spending tax payers’ money for campaigning.
FRANCIS FONSECA
“There is cause for concern when it comes to the use of public funds in election campaigns but I think as a country we have to get beyond that; we have to think about these issues. it’s a dangerous road we are travelling, where, as I have said before, there seems to be no line, in my view, between the public treasury and the United Democratic Party treasury. There seems to be no line. Election campaigns are run with public funds completely. On Election Day people are getting letters for scholarships, people are getting land papers. So, people will say that has been happening for a long time and that may be fair but I continue to make the point that we are in unprecedented waters, the scale and level and depth of it is unprecedented, in my view and I think we all have to take a collective pause.”

Thompson Speaks on Investigation in Police BrutalityIn June 2014, Love News brought to you the story of 39-year-old, Ernesto Chan, a taxi driver of San Ignacio Town, Cayo District who at the time was not only facing marital problems, eviction from his home but had also been allegedly assaulted by two police officers from that municipality. When we aired the story some six months ago, we had met up with Chan, who bore scars and photos of a bloody mouth and other injuries which he claim were inflicted by two officers, namely, Sergeant Octaviano Victorin and Corporal Rudolph Rodriguez. In our story, we had told you that the Public Standards Branch of the Belize Police Department had launched an internal investigation into the matter, but it seemed like a slow paced investigation as in November, Chan was back at our offices saying that he is yet to get an update on the investigation and the two officers were still on active duty. We caught up with Superintendent Dinsdale Thompson, who now heads the San Ignacio Police Station to get an update on that investigation.

Arrest Made For Robbery’s Murder27–year-old, Troy Hyde, a resident of Curl Thompson Street in Belize City was charged with the murder of 28-year-old, Kareem ‘Robbery’ Lopez when he appeared today before the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith. Hyde was remanded into custody until February 24. Lopez was gunned down around 10:20 p.m. on January 3 while he was in front of a fast food establishment on Central American Boulevard. He had gone to the fast food establishment and was opening the door of his car when he was approached by a group of men and one of them opened fire, riddling Lopez’ body with multiple gunshots. Lopez was transported to KHMH where he was pronounced dead.

Works Resume on Chetumal BoulevardLast year we told you about the completion of the Bridge that joins the north and south-sides. Today Love News stopped by and spoke to Deon Burns, Site Supervisor about the current works that have started on Chetumal Boulevard.
DEON BURNS
“Right now on Chetumal Street we are doing the infrastructure, right now we are on the drainage, doing the sidewalk drainage going all the way to the creek down that side, afterwards we will come behind and do the street. We’ll put in a two way street with a median in the middle and we will try to get everything done as soon as we could but with the weather we are going very slow and due to the Christmas holiday. The other thing is yes, the bridge is open, most people use it as easy access. Right now it is kind of traffic-able for us right now but I understand everybody need to get to work quick and fast but I will ask everybody to minimize the traffic. All of us are working and it is hard for us , our excavator and our trucks hauling in and out. Concerning going to the creek on the left hand side, there is a board house upstairs I understand that will be moved out and the yellow cement house before that, we will put a slab off the bridge going down so they can access. On this other side I am not sure what we will do as yet as we reach there, maybe another two and a half months we will get there if we go by schedule, with weather and everything or a little earlier.”

Villager Charged For Burglary and TheftBelmopan Police have arrested and charged 24-year-old Kim Thomas of Camalote Village with theft and burglary. 53-year-old, Nelson Gallardo of Roaring Creek Village told Police he was at home sleeping when he was alerted by his security guard that an intruder was on the premises. Upon investigation they saw some movements at the back of the garage, which is located on the same compound. Upon investigation, they saw a man of dark complexion walking toward some machines which were on the compound. With the assistance of the other security guards they held him there and called the police. Police recovered a vehicle starter, one hundred sand seventeen dollars in different denominations and three bottles of soft drinks. As a result, Thomas was arrested and charged.

Men Charged With Robbery and Aggravated BurglarlyTwo men were charged with two counts of robbery and one count of aggravated burglary when they appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. They are 23 year old Ronald Michael and 27 year old Edwin Emmanuel Coye. They were also charged with wounding and harm. They pled not guilty to the charges. They were remanded into custody until March 3. According to the allegation, on Friday, January 2, the defendants and another, whilst armed with a firearm, entered as trespassers the home of Maria Gonzalez, located on Superintendent George Arthurs Street and stole money and items that amounted to over one thousand dollars. The men also allegedly stole money and items amounting to two thousand two hundred and seventy five dollars from Jennifer Gonzalez and money and items amounting to over two thousand dollars from Francisco Avila. The police have also alleged that the men caused a wound to Jennifer Gonzalez and caused harm to Maria Gonzalez.

Teen Charged For Possession of Controlled DrugsEighteen year old Raheem Myles, who tried to smuggle 46 grams of cannabis into Belize Central Prison by hiding them inside some apples, was sentenced to six months today by Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser after he plead guilty to a charge of possession of a controlled drug. Myles had expected a fine but Senior Magistrate Fraser told him that she will send him to the place where he was trying to smuggle the cannabis to join the person he was taking it to. Myles was busted on Friday, January 2 when he went to Belize Central Prison with three apples. When the apples were cut open the cannabis was found inside the core. One apple had 10 parcels which amounted to 16 grams, a second apple had eight parcels amounting to 12 grams and the third apple had 13 parcels which amounted to 18 grams. Apparently, the sticker on each apple was removed and a hole was made which formed the entrance for the cannabis. After the cannabis was put inside the apple, the sticker was put back where it was to cover the hole.

Belama Resident Charged With Sexual Assault and ThreatThirty-five year old Baron Anderson, a resident of Belama Phase Two, was charged with sexual assault and using threatening words when he appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. Anderson plead not guilty to the charges. He was offered a bail of two thousand dollars and his case was adjourned until March 3. The bail was offered on the condition that he says away from the complainant and anybody connected to her. The incident occurred on January 1 at Golden Casino, located on Newtown Barracks. The complainant, who is over the age of 16, reported to the police that while she was at Golden Casino, Anderson came and sat beside her and grabbed her vagina. She said Anderson then told her that anytime he sees her and her boyfriend he will kill them. Anderson said in court that the complainant used to be his girlfriend.

Men Charged For Firearm and Ammunition OffensesTwo men were charged with firearm and ammunition offenses when they appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. They are 25 year old Curlan Phillips and 18 year old Tevin Palmer. They were charged with kept a prohibited firearm, a .357 revolver and kept six rounds of point thirty eight calibre ammunition. They plead not guilty to the charges and they were remanded into custody until March 5. They were busted around 12 a.m. on January 3. The police reported that they were on mobile patrol on Banak Street when they saw a gold colour four door Altima car with the defendants inside. The car was on Banak Street and it was heading towards Central American Boulevard.

Elton Coba Charged For Burglary30-year-old Elton Coba has been charged for burglary. This follows a report made by Sonia Alamila who told Police someone burglarized her home on January 2. The thieves made off with some of her jewelry. Police conducted a search on Coba and found a number of the stolen items. Coba appeared before Magistrate Hurl Hamilton where he pled guilty to the crime. He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

Arturo Cantun Reports on Bi-Election in Cayo NorthAs we mentioned earlier, polls have closed in the bi-election in Cayo North. Arturo Cantun was on the ground during the day and filed this report.
ARTURO CANTUN
“Today a by-election was held for the Cayo North constituency. The two candidates are new in the political race. For the UDP it is Omar Figueroa and for the PUP it is Richard Harrison. At the start of the voting at 7AM voters were just trickling in. Both candidates however were both optimistic that more voters were going to come out after midday. Around midday we spoke with PUP candidate Richard Harrison who was very confident that his machinery was working well.”
RICHARD HARRISON
“Well I am feeling good, it is going as we suspected. They have a lot of campaigners and that is mostly what has voted for them, campaigners who they are paying to vote. Our voters are voluntary people coming to vote of their own free will and we are getting them out and we are going to do that until 6pm.”

RTA on Hummingbird HighwayFour people were rushed to the Western Regional Hospital after a traffic accident on the George Price Highway. Correspondent Angelica tells us more.
ANGELICA CRUZ
“Four persons were rushed to the Western Regional hospital following a traffic accident on the Hummingbird Highway. Love News visited the scene sometime around 4:15 on Monday afternoon January 5th and saw silver Saturn VUE on the right hand side of the highway in a drain in some bushes with its front portion extensively damaged. About 20 feet away on the right hand side of the highway also in some bushes a grey Mahindra pick up with damages to its passenger side door.

Sunday Night Murder Claims Life of TeenBelmopan Police have two persons detained following a Sunday night murder. Correspondent Angelica Cruz has the details.
ANGELICA CRUZ
“Belmopan police hands are full; they are trying to put all the pieces together in trying to solve the second murder that occurred in less than 4 days. According to the neighbors, sometime around 6:30PM on Sunday evening January 4th, they say there were inside their house sitting down when they heard the sound of two gunshots being fired coming from the back of their house. They then came outside and saw a number or people running where there was an exchange of several gunshots between two groups of people.

Shooting Claims Life of LopezA shooting this weekend on Central American Boulevard claimed the life of twenty-three-year-old, Kareem Lopez, also known as robbery, who resides on George Street. According to eyewitnesses, Lopez was by a Chinese shop, opposite bi-way internet café, purchasing something from the store when he saw a gun man ran out of a nearby yard with a gun. Witnesses told us that Lopez turned and ran towards his vehicle when he tripped and the gun man let fire on him. Love News received vital data that just before the shooting, Lopez was engaged in a heated argument with a gentleman who then held him up at gunpoint and threatened his life on New Year’s Day on Faber’s Road; the gun snapped and Lopez returned the favor by placing a gun in the assailant’s mouth and threatening him. No angel to the law, Lopez life has been threatened numerous times.

Martinez Speaks on Recent Shootings and MurdersPolice have been busy trying to keep up with the criminals. Since our last newscast on Friday, three murders and several shootings have been reported. Two of the fatal shootings occurred in Belize City. We start with the latest which happened just before seven o’clock this morning. Raphael Martinez is the Press Officer in the Ministry of National Security.
RAPHAEL M ARTINEZ
“It occurred at approximately minutes to seven this morning when police were informed of gunshots being fired in the vicinity of Rodger’s Stadium. When police went to the scene they saw a male of dark complexion who was identified later as 32 year old Marvin Anthony Underwood lying in the vicinity of the Pound Yard bridge apparently dead with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Again he was transported to the KHMH where his body awaits a post mortem examination as the investigations continue.”
It is believed that this morning’s shooting was retaliation for Friday night’s murder which took the life of a well known street figure.

Early Morning Shooting Claims Life of ManThere was a shooting this morning at the corner of East Collet Canal and Orange Street in Belize City. According to Police just before seven o’clock they received reports of shots being fired in the vicinity of Roger’s Stadium. Police say on arrival they saw 32-year-old Marvin Anthony Underwood lying on the street in the vicinity of the Pound Yard Bridge with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Police have a press briefing scheduled for later this afternoon. Sources tell Love News that Anderson’s murder was retaliation for the murder of Kareem Lopez which occurred on Friday night. Love News has been told that Underwood left his home in the Yarborough area and was heading to work when he was shot. Anderwood received a gunshot wound to the head and succumbed to his injury on the spot. Police investigation continues into this matter.

PlusTV

Police fail to apprehend high-speed shootersResidents of the Kraal Road area of Belize City awoke to see police chasing a group of men in an SUV on Sunday morning. They were responding to reports of alleged gunfire heard on Kraal Road.
We responded as well and witnessed the high-speed chase through the neighborhoods of the Southside to George Street, where the shooters ditched the vehicle and escaped.
They were alleged to be carrying and using sub-machine guns.
The vehicle in which they were traveling, a Hyundai Santa Fe SUV with Belize City license plates BC-C-47582, was impounded after being processed where it was ditched on George Street, and then taken to Queen Street where it remains under guard pending further examination.

19 year old shot and killed in BelmopanOn Sunday January 4 at about 7:00p.m., shots were fired on Costa Rica Street Extension in the Salvapan Area of Belmopan. 19 year old Kevin Vasquez was shot to the head, chest and leg.
Mr Vasquez was a Honduran welder of Chile Street, Belmopan City.
We spoke to Officer in charge of the Belmopan formation, Howell Gillett, who told us more about the incident and the investigation.
“So far, our investigation shows the person might have been hit by a .38 revolver that was found on the scene. Three expended shells were found inside the .38 revolver, and three live rounds.

Mervin Underwood shot and killedKareem Lopez’s murder was the first of two in Belize City within 56 hours . There was another on Monday morning in a highly trafficked area near the Pound Yard Bridge .
Police responded to reports of gunshots being fired in the vicinity of Rogers’ Stadium, and came upon 32 year old Mervin Underwood with a fatal wound to the head.
With a formal report here is Police Press Officer Raphael Martinez.
“Police were informed of gunshots being fired in the vicinity of Roger’s Stadium. When police went to the scene they saw a male of dark complexion, who was identified later as 32 year old Mervin Anthony Underwood, laying in the vicinity of the Pound Yard Bridge apparently dead, with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.

DOE to have meeting over Barton Creek DamsLast Week Tuesday December 30, we told you about the story of the Dam that was built in Barton Creek, apparently without permission from the Department of the Environment. We will play the original story in case you missed it last week.
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Many Belizeans know of the ATM cave; Actun Tunichil Muknal , as well as the cave at Caves branch , also in the Cayo District.
The Dark Knight story, which aired recently in the media, showed the plight that local tour guides have in accessing the cave location in that property.
PlusNews travelled to Barton creek, a Mennonite community, now owned by a few wealthy Canadians and Americans. Deep within this lush forest and farming area is a tourist destination known to just a few Belizeans; The Barton Creek cave system is comprised of well over 5 miles of caverns with an entire mile accessible to tourists for canoeing and sightseeing. The cave was used by the Mayas for ceremonies and when combined with the Mayan pottery, bones and stalactites and stalagmites it has become one of the areas protected and administered by NICH.

Omar Figueroa beats Richard Harrison 2:160.81% of Cayo North’s registered voters cast their votes in Monday’s by election in Cayo North; a fair turn out. The results of that election were announced at around 9 o’clock, so when we left you at the end of our newscast the counting was still on the way.
It was a busy day on Monday for the two camps to get their voters in at the polls, to vote for either UDP candidate Omar Figueroa or PUP candidate Richard Harrison.
At the end of it all, Omar Figueroa garnered an impressive lead, almost doubling Harrison’s votes.
Returning Officer Wilbur Sabido made the announcement.
“For the Cayo North Electoral Division, we had a total of 4,013 votes cast. Mr Omar Figueroa received some 2,665 votes, while Mr Richard Harrison received 1,348 votes. 5 ballots were spoiled, 51 rejected. So thus, after the return of the poll has been taken, I hereby certify that the Member elected for the Cayo North Electoral Division, in pursuance of the within writ as having received the majority of the votes lawfully given, is Mr Omar Figueroa.”

7 years for burglaryLast week we reported on the incident of a 30 year old son trying to stab his 52 year old father in the chest. The father managed to escape unharmed after his son entered their home under the influence or some substance.
The father got out a restraining order against his son, Elton Coba, but Coba paid that no mind and the following day, returned to the family house. The father and mother ran out through the back into some nearby bushes, while the son tore open the screen door and entered the house making threats to kill them all, after which he stole some of his father’s belongings before leaving.
Elton Coba appeared before Magistrate Hurl Hamilton, where he was fined $300.00 for damaging the screen doors, $1,000.00 for breaching the protection order, and was offered bail in the sum of $3,000.00 for the crime of burglary to his father’s house.

Stabbed to the head while trying to part fightAt about 12:45 a.m. on Saturday January 3, police responded to a stabbing Incident on #6621 Police Street in Belize City.
32-year-old Aaron Kerr of Police Street was stabbed to the left side of the head.
According to police, Aaron Kerr was socializing with some friends when a fight ensued between two man on the street side of Police street. Aaron Kerr intervened to separate them, and as a result one of the male persons inflicted the injury to him.

Police Officer arrested and charged for extortionOfficer in Charge of the Bella Vista Police Station, 44 year old PC Bernard Villanueva, was arrested and charged for extortion.
On Friday January 2, a 28 year old woman reported to Independence police that the police officer in Bella Vista insisted that she pay him $200 for the release of her husband.
The Independence police officers photocopied four twenty-dollars notes and two fifty-dollars notes and then sent in someone to make the payment to PC Villanueva on behalf of the woman. Bernard Villanueva took the marked notes and immediately released the woman’s husband.
Independence police then moved in and retrieved the marked monies from Bernard Villanueva and formally arrested and charged him for extortion.

Cane farmers vote No to ASR/BSI commercial agreementSunday’s general membership meeting of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association saw a massive turn out. The estimated count was somewhere between 1,500 to 2,000 cane farmers, who travelled from far and near to exercise their democratic right to have their voices heard in the matter concerning the signing of a final agreement with BSI.
As we told you last week, the agreement was to be signed on Tuesday, however, 5 of the 18 BSCFA directors opted for the decision to be made by the cane farmers, as is required by their bylaws. In addition to that, cane farmer Lucilo Teck and Association Executive Javier Keme, with the help of their attorney Audrey Matura-Sheppard, had filed an application for an injunction to stop the committee from signing without the approval of the majority.
That led to the fiery meeting on Sunday, where a clear division was noticeable between those who wanted it signed and those who did not.

Amandala

Omar thrashes Richard!For the first time since 1961, when voters began casting their ballots in Cayo North, by-elections were held today in that constituency and the end result was an almost unprecedented blowout, the extent of which has not been seen since Hector Silva won the division for the People’s United Party 54 years ago.
Today, it was the United Democratic Party’s Dr. Omar Figueroa who stole the show by sweeping up nearly twice the votes garnered by his rival, the PUP’s Richard Harrison. The United Democratic Party’s chairman, Alberto August, who is also the chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission, reported to Amandala tonight that their candidate, Figueroa, had received 2,665 of the 4,013 votes cast in today’s by-election, while Harrison had received only 1,348 votes. The final official statistics indicate that 5 ballots were deemed spoilt and 51 rejected.
Dr. Omar Figueroa, the UDP candidate, a jaguar researcher by profession, has not had as strong a media presence as Harrison, but he told us today that he has been working on the ground, going from house to house, listening to the people’s issues: land, health, education, infrastructure and jobs.

“Chino,” 51, stabbed 42 times as he sleptJust a few hours before the dawn of the New Year, a very brutal and bloody murder occurred in which the victim was mercilessly stabbed over 40 times at a house on Fonseca Street in Orange Walk Town.
According to police, at around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31, Miguel Moises Medina, 51, also known as “Chino”, was drinking with a group of friends when they got into a fight, and he was later stabbed a total of 42 times in the stomach, chest, neck, face, arms and back as he slept on a sponge inside a concrete structure belonging to one of his associates, Rodrigo Ayuso.
Police were called, but by the time they arrived, Medina – a resident of Guyana Street in Orange Walk – had already died on the spot, and since then, investigators have been trying to find out why Medina’s companions attacked him so viciously.

Cañeros to SICB: Start the crop; stop the crap!Today marked a critical juncture in the seemingly unending impasse that has overwhelmed the sugar industry as the cane farmers shot down a previously-accepted draft commercial purchasing agreement between their representatives, the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA), and the factory owners, Belize Sugar Industries (BSI)/American Sugar Refineries (ASR), and called on the governmental oversight body known as the Sugar Industry Control Board (SICB) to use its authority to declare the opening of the long-deferred 2014/2015 sugarcane crop season.
In the face of a mixture of heightened police presence and high tensions, an unprecedented crowd of over 1,500 local cañeros gathered en masse at their usual meeting place, the Escuela Secundaria Tecnica Mexico auditorium, on the outskirts of Corozal Town starting at 9:00 a.m. today.

2015’s first murderA little more than 15 hours after the New Year began, the first murder of the year occurred.
Yaima Duany Ledesma, 30, a Cuban worker at Dream Valley Resort Restaurant and Bar situated about two miles into the Young Gyal Road, off the George Price Highway, was shot and killed in the establishment where she worked by one of two men.
Amandala was informed that at about 3:30 p.m. New Year’s Day, two men went into the establishment and ordered drinks, after which they asked to see Ledesma, and when she came to see what they wanted, one of the men took out a pistol from the waist of his pants and shot her as she came towards their table.
Ledesma was hit in the chest and stomach, and fell to the ground.

Cisco Construction worker shot and killed near Pound Yard BridgeMervin Anthony Underwood, 32, a soil tester employed at the CISCO Construction Company, died after he was shot in the head near the Pound Yard Bridge by an unknown gunman as he was heading to work this morning.
A bus driver for CISCO Construction told Amandala that he was driving up Cemetery Road to Pound Yard to pick up Underwood to take him to work, when at about 100 yards from Pound Yard Bridge, he saw people running, and when he approached, he saw his friend and workmate sprawled on the ground. He had been shot.

Was fire at BSCFA CEO’s house a case of arson?Things have been “hot” in the current sugar dispute for some while now, and an early morning fire that happened today at a house that was being rented by the CEO of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA), Oscar Alonzo, has ignited concerns that the ongoing back-and-forth in the sugar industry may be taking a volatile turn.
At around 1:00 a.m. this morning, fire officials in Orange Walk were called out to the San Lorenzo Housing Site in Orange Walk Town where Alonzo’s concrete bungalow house had apparently been set ablaze only two days before a BSCFA general meeting, where 5,000 plus cane farmers will decide whether or not they want to accept the compromise agreement between them and the factory owners for a second time.

“Weed apples” get teenager 6 months in jailOn New Year’s Eve, a teenager was arrested for attempting to smuggle marijuana into the prison inside three apples.
Raheem Miles, 18, who is a first-time offender, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled drug and was sentenced to 6 months in prison this morning when he was arraigned on the charge before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer.
A look of confusion appeared on Miles’ face after he entered his guilty plea and he then asked the court to show him leniency and the Senior Magistrate told him that he needed to give her a good reason why he should not be sent to prison.
“You go to prison and smuggle drugs; it’s obvious you want to go there. You should have been charged with drug trafficking the moment you stepped on the prison compound with drugs,” Frazer told Miles.

KREM “Big Shilling” 2015 New Year’s Day Cycling ClassicAfter a three-year stretch of Belizean born champions, a foreigner, Mexican Hector Rangel, a Masters rider (over 35 years old) riding for the Belizean team, Benny’s Megabytes, came in all alone, after sweeping the bulk of the station prizes, to claim the Elite crown for the 25th KREM New Year’s Day Cycling Classic.
There was a lot of hype and great expectation of heroic performances from local riders going into this year’s KREM Classic, and it had a lot to do with the very attractive prizes, especially the unprecedented five $1,000.00 Elite station prizes along the 96 mile journey from Belize/Mexico border in Corozal to Belize City, where the race ended in front of Santos Diaz & Sons on Central American Boulevard. There were some early sprints for station prizes, where Belizeans Gregory Lovell, Giovanni Lovell and Ron Vasquez claimed their portion of the prize money; but foreigners took 24 of the 30 station prizes, including 4 of the 5 big $1,000.00 prizes, with eventual winner Hector Rangel (Benny’s Megabytes) taking over the race at Maskall Junction and claiming the last 20 station prizes on his way to capturing the first place honors in 3:50:26.

BAA National Track and Field Championship set for January 24-25The Belize Athletics Association (BAA) invites all athletes and track enthusiasts to be a part of a National Track and Field Championship event.
This event will be hosted at the Marion Jones Sports Complex on January 24 and 25, 2015.
All athletes 16 years (born 1998) and older can participate in the events.
Registration forms can be obtained from and returned to the BAA via email (belizeathleticsassociation@gmail.com) or from our Facebook page (Belize Athletics Association). Registration forms can also be obtained from and returned to the National Sports Council’s offices throughout the country.
Please be advised that registration forms should be submitted no later than Wednesday, January 21; no late registrations will be accepted. Cost of registration is $5.00 per athlete.
Events will include: 100m; 200m; 400m; 800m; 1500m; 5000m; 10,000m; 4x100m; 4x400m; Long Jump; Triple Jump; High Jump; Javelin; Shot put; Discus.

Wednesday is D-Day, PLB playoffs down to the wireWhat a game! What a season! What a playoff in this Premier League of Belize (PLB) 2014-2015 Opening Season! The 4 teams who made the playoffs were not decided until the last weekend of regular season football; and these playoffs, which will end this Wednesday night, are in a similar position. BDF is out of the race, but they can still be a spoiler for Verdes. None of the 3 teams battling for the 2 spots in the championship finals – neither Belmopan Bandits, Police United nor Verdes FC is sure of a spot in the finals. There are a host of mathematical possibilities. Of course, Verdes could take BDF lightly, and that would send Police and Verdes to the big dance, whatever the outcome of their game. But if Verdes beats BDF, then Verdes is home free, and Police would need a win against Bandits, because a draw would send the Bandits through. (See the latest standings below.)
Going by our unofficial reports, in games at 4:00 p.m. on New Year’s eve last Wednesday, December 31, the People’s Stadium in Orange Walk saw Belmopan Bandits with a 1-0 win over BDF; while at the Norman Broaster Stadium in San Ignacio, Verdes followed their Saturday night 1-0 win over Police United with a 4-0 blowout of the law men on Sunday afternoon. Police was obviously weakened by the loss of their sweeper, Frank Lopez, who was red carded on Saturday night, and thus had to sit out the Sunday game.

Boxer wants to see more events in the New YearBoxing trainer/enthusiast Henry “Boxer” Gill visited the sports desk this morning to say that he wants to see more boxing events in the New Year. He says he is calling on Boxing Federation President Moses Sulph to start visiting the gyms and do the necessary groundwork to get some boxing events going for the youths. “Let’s not be distracted with who says this, and who says that, and the politics and all that. The youths need to be busy, and we need to have more regular boxing events,” said Boxer.

Force, face, and foolsIn their dealings with African and Maya people over the last five plus centuries, the European peoples have generally been brutal, oppressive, and exploitative. Quite intelligently, the Europeans eventually decided to put a face on the force they were using against non-European peoples. In the beginning, the force was naked. The force was originally designed to terrorize the “natives” and assure their abject capitulation. After the force achieved its objective, the conqueror/imperialist could resort to the use of religion and various public relations devices to deceive and divide the now subject native peoples. The sweet modern face of white supremacy has made collaborationist fools of some of us non-Europeans who thought it useless to resist the power of the colonial system. Collaboration with the Europeans was also profitable, more profitable than resistance, so maybe collaborationists were not such fools after all.
The decision in a special general meeting on Sunday by Corozal and Orange Walk cane farmers to turn down an agreement with BSI/ASR, the transnational company which owns the Tower Hill sugar factory, was an act of resistance. As such, political observers will view Sunday’s vote as favoring the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP). In no way can the vote be seen as favoring the ruling United Democratic Party (UDP), because the government had been calling for the agreement to be signed and for the grinding of sugar cane to begin.

From the PublisherI’m writing this early Sunday morning, just a couple hours before the cane farmers of the Corozal and Orange Walk Districts meet in general assembly to decide whether to sign an agreement with BSI/ASR which is on the table, or to embark on some other course of action.
As things are, the commencement of the new sugar crop, with respect to the grinding of the sugar cane which is in the fields, has already been delayed for a month because of extended negotiations between the cane farmers, who own the sugar cane fields, and BSI/ASR, the company which owns the factory which grinds the cane, to decide some fundamental issues of power, control, and money.
Over the weeks and months of the negotiations, our editorial position at this newspaper has been consistently in support of the cañeros. The reason for that support is because that is who we are at this newspaper: we support the principle of power to the people. It is the cane farmers who are the Belizean people.

Let better pay for cane-cutters also roll…Dear Editor,
The escalating tension here in the North is indeed a very crippling experience that continues to dampen and even dismantle the spirits of many families, particularly those whose livelihoods are anchored in the squealing axis of the sugar industry itself.
As a canefarmer, I indeed stand in full support and solidarity with my compañeros cañeros in a most unconditional and steadfast manner as we hope that whatever differences between our representative, the BSCFA, and BSI/ASR are well-ironed out in a meticulous way that will seek to always protect and promote our interests in this very important industry.

Belize moves to establish first Science Technology and Innovation Institute in 2015Belize will move in 2015 to break ground for a new Science Technology and Innovation Institute, which Dr. Colin Young, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Energy, Science & Technology and Public Utilities, said will be designed to reflect the findings of extensive studies being carried out by Korean partners working along with the Ministry.
In his New Year’s message this year, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dean Barrow said that 2015 will be the year of technology in Belize, with the Government also gifting an Asus tablet (made in Taiwan) to each tertiary level student in Belize. He said that 9,000 such tablets will be purchased for distribution. At the high school level, Government plans to finance improvements of computer labs.

Roy Bayliss’ alleged killer remandedA Corozal resident has been placed behind bars in connection with the 2014 murder of Roy Bayliss, 18, who also lived in Corozal, but was shot and killed after a night out in Orange Walk Town on August 2.
Today, six months later, Raymond Jacobs, whom police have named as the trigger man, appeared in the Orange Walk Magistrate’s Court, where he was arraigned and subsequently remanded to the Belize Central Prison until February 2015 for Bayliss’ murder. Although he did not specify what information led them to the accused, Deputy OC for Orange Walk Police, ASP Selvin Tillett, told us that “investigations” led to Jacob’s arrest, and that “there might be more arrests in regards to this same incident later on.”
After the murder had occurred, police had reported that Bayliss was involved an altercation with a man in front of the Hi-5 Night Club in Orange Walk Town, and was later shot in the right cheek and behind the left ear after leaving the nightspot.

Chief Elections Officer refutes PUP’s allegations of by-election corruptionDuring a press conference yesterday, Tuesday, the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP)’s party chairman, secretary general and legal advisor suggested that the United Democratic Party (UDP) was trying to sway the outcome of the upcoming Cayo North by-election through the transfer of Jerrylyn Bruce, the senior registering officer from the Cayo North Elections and Boundaries Branch, who, the PUP alleged, refused to facilitate UDP chairman, Alberto August, with the election binders containing the personal information of the voters from Cayo North.
The Opposition claimed that the transfer, which had happened just days before the election, was done as a consequence of that supposed occurrence; however, August has categorically denied having any contact whatsoever with Bruce, and asserted that he has no interest in the binders because he uses what is publicly available: the voters list.
Today, Chief Elections Officer, Josephine Tamai, spoke about the seemingly abrupt re-assignment of Ms. Bruce with the media, explaining that the situation was misinterpreted by the PUP, and that Bruce was actually re-assigned to a different registration office in Cayo North, and not transferred, as was previously thought.

Shameless “friend” stole purse from woman while socializing with herA woman has been detained by police, pending charges of theft, after she was captured on camera stealing the purse of Sabrina Martinez, 33, a domestic of San Narciso, Corozal District, while they were socializing at a bar in Corozal Town.
The incident occurred at about 7:00 Tuesday evening, December 30, at a bar on 5th Avenue in Corozal Town.
Martinez told police that she, the friend and her nephew were socializing at Perfect Restaurant when she left her purse with the friend for safekeeping while she became engaged in a conversation with another acquaintance of hers.
Martinez reported that she ordered drinks from the bar and when she went for her purse from the friend to pay for the drinks, the friend and her purse were nowhere to be found.

Man charged with sexual assault of his ex-girlfriend released on bailA Belize City man who pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of use of threatening words against his ex-girlfriend was released on a bail of $2,000 plus one surety of the same amount after Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer arraigned him on the charges this morning.
Byron Anderson told the court, “The young lady used to be my lady and we broke up. She is jeopardizing everything for me.”
Anderson’s ex-girlfriend reported to police that on the night of January 1, 2015, she was at the Golden Casino on Princess Margaret Drive, where she met Anderson.
The woman told police that Anderson sat down beside her. After they spoke to each other briefly, Anderson got angry and grabbed her private parts without her consent, she reported.

Police share some fines associated with some common offenseThe Police Department has shared a list of cases for which persons were recently fined for various offences. Please see below:
POSSESSION OF AN ARTICLE WITH POINT
Fined $100.00 with $5.00 cost of court to be paid by 31/12/14, in default 1 month imprisonment.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT
Defendant found guilty and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
VEHICLES
CAUSE MOTOR VEHICLE TO PROCEED IN A ONE-WAY STREET
Fined $100.00 with $5.00 cost of court to be paid by 31/1/15, in default (i/d) 1 month imprisonment.

Finally, Janae getting paid!Financial Secretary Joseph Waight told Amandala today that the Government of Belize via the Ministry of Finance is making an initial payment towards the $2 million which the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) had awarded back in April to Janae Matute and her mother, Georgia Matute, in an unprecedented medical malpractice suit against the Government of Belize and a former public sector doctor, Raju Meenavalli.
Waight told us that the attorney for the Matutes, Fred Lumor, SC, has accepted the Government’s offer to pay about 5% of the total award as well as legal fees, and Waight said that he is confident that the payment will be made, if not by this Friday, January 2, no later than Monday, January 5.
“Thereafter, we hope to agree on a payment schedule which would reflect the lifetime needs of the young lady,” Waight said.

Patrick Jones

PUP leader takes blame for by-election defeatMonday’s by-election result – 2,669 votes for the United Democratic Party’s (UDP) Omar Figueroa to 1,340 for the People’s United Party’s (PUP) Richard Harrison – was a surprise even to seasoned election observers, especially considering the fairly low turnout of 61%.
But a win is a win, and a loss is a loss, and the PUP’s might in the House of Representatives is dented and its momentum going into the municipal elections in March seems to be halted.
The PUP’s leader, Francis Fonseca, says the party makes no excuses for its showing and congratulated his opponents at a press briefing today for their decisive win. It is now time, he said, for the party to evaluate itself and fix any problems it has as the election cycle heats up.

City Council to absorb 158 BML workersThe Belize City Council has agreed with sanitation contractors Belize Maintenance Limited (BML) on a means of smoothly transitioning the company’s workers on the expiration of the Council’s contract with BML next Friday, January 16.
Some 158 workers will move over to the Council’s employ, including some managers and supervisors, but according to the Council, only 110 will actually be employed in the swollen sanitation departments; the others will be transferred into other departments of the Council, with particular attention to those of specific skill sets.
The Council’s current Sanitation Department will be split in two with specific responsibilities, to be chaired by former councilor Wayne Usher and current sanitation manager Percival Murillo.

Omar Figueroa is the new Cayo North area representativeOmar Figueroa is the newly elected area representative for Cayo North.
Figueroa defeated the People’s United Party candidate Richard Harrison in a bye-election held on Monday, January 5.
According to the official statistics published by the Election and Boundaries Department, a total of four thousand and twelve votes were cast yesterday.
Of that amount, Omar Figueroa received two thousand, six hundred and sixty four.
His opponent Richard Harrison got one thousand, three hundred and forty eight votes.
Fifty one of the ballots were rejected.

San Pedro loves to partyIt’s no secret San Pedro Loves to Party and celebrating NYE 2015 was super fun. It started out at a private roof top party which was a great place to watch the spectacular 45 minute fireworks show. We also enjoyed watching an annual tradition, Lola’s Pub NYE street party from above. We could see everyone dancing in the street. This year they had a DJ set up across the street at Belize Bank.
After the roof party had cleared out and we cleaned up, we headed downstairs to catch the end of Lola’s then a bunch of our group went on to Fido’s to continue the fun. Kendall and I decided food was in order first and walked to the park – nothing says happy new year like street meat :) The lines ups were long at our favorite taco stands so we opted for getting a burger and burrito from one of the girls that had no line. Food was good but I still like my regular girl best and I am pretty sure Kendall would say the same for the one he, Matt and Sara frequent.

Gorgeous Day For A Walk Up North: Rojo Beach Bar to the Canary Cove CompoundJust after lunch, I headed north from Rojo Beach Bar – which is located at about 5.5 miles North Ambergris Caye to Canary Cove – just over 6 miles north. Take a LOOK at their website. Holy crap! A like a place that can be described as “a compound”.
And passing Mata Chica and their rainbow colored cabanas…
They were working feverishly to clean up the sargasso seaweed that is washing up in bulk – and doing a pretty good job of it.

“She’s Leaving Home” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.Since moving here to Ambergris Caye, Belize in May 2012 ,and especially since I started this blog, I have been asked innumerable times ” So what do you miss from home” (‘home’ being the UK)?
I’ve nearly always responded with ” Not a lot actually”. I miss my family and friends and I sometimes think about how nice (what a weak and bland word that is) it would be to be able to go to the shops and buy whatever you need. However as we approach our third year here I now know that what you think you need is actually better described as what you want. And, what you want is not always what you need!
After a while here you get used to ‘this’ or ‘that’ not being available. It’s not terribly uncommon to find that carrots or potatoes are available, let alone more ‘exotic’ vegetables or fruits, anywhere on the island. It’s no big deal though, you just see what is available and adapt (well Rose does as far as preparing and cooking it and I do my ‘bit’ when I eat it!).
This acceptance though doesn’t stop you from occasionally hankering after something that you just know that you can’t get in Belize, let alone the island.

From Beach to Mountains, Expats Enjoy a Great Lifestyle and Low Costs in English-Speaking, Caribbean Belize“Belize has a lot to offer those seeking a new life abroad. There’s a feeling of opportunity and possibility, of a place being shaped right now…a country where retirees can find a comfortable place or someone with an idea can start a business,” reports InternationalLiving.com editor Jason Holland. “It’s not as established as some of the other tourist destinations in the region, so there’s still lots of room for new businesses that fill a gap in the market.” With a population of 330,000, Belize offers plenty of empty, wide-open spaces. Located below Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, this is picture-postcard Caribbean. It’s a country of Maya temples, seaside condos, jungle lodges, and colonial mansions.

31 Reasons Living In Belize Spoils You For Life1. Because of the weather
With its subtropical climate, the average temperature is 85 degrees.
2. Because of Hol Chan Marine Reserve
It’s one of the best diving & snorkeling spots in the world.
3. Because of The Great Blue Hole
It’s one of the most amazing places on Earth according to The Discovery Channel.

International Sources

Save the region from climate change IF ever there was a time and an issue for the countries of the Caribbean to speak with one voice and at a high level, both the time and the issue have arrived.
The issue is the global average temperature arising from climate change which is now scientifically indisputable. A decade of research shows that a rise in temperature of two degrees Celsius (2°C) is a dangerous threshold, particularly for small islands and countries with low-lying coastlines. Yet, the world is heading in that direction with all the potential for the ruin of small islands and the destruction of human habitats on low-lying coastal areas in countries such as Belize and Guyana.
Throughout 2015, the countries of the Caribbean need to scale up their participation, responses and advocacy in every international forum on this issue. The time has come for the appointment of a high-level figure to head-up a permanent team of Caribbean experts, including members of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, to represent the region with a single, strong voice. That team and its leader—accountable to heads of government—should be responsible for several important aspects of this grave problem that threatens the existence of some Caribbean countries and the viability of all of them.